Butterfly's Wings, Session Ten, The Pirate Ploy
Ceremony and a Forgotten Friend The session opened with Largo, heavily wounded, standing over his brother's fallen body. The crowd was cheering madly, and Largo suddenly became keenly aware of the immense pain in his arm. Fern jumped out into the arena and followed Largo out the exit, healing him as best she could before they came out for the final ceremony. Dax, meanwhile, had some idea of who Atterum was, and leaped up onto his unoccupied shoulder. Atterum did not act surprised in the slightest, and greeted Dax with a smile. He requested that the Solar meet him in the market district just down from Crazy Eddie's. Largo was brought out again for the ceremony, and as he attuned, the fires of the Gem Coliseum were released in a mile-high pillar of flame. Fern figured out what was going on by examining the geomancy with her Essence sight. The party headed out to the place in the market district Atterum had told them. They were pulled aside by a local man, and they followed him into a tent where Atterum appeared to be staying. He explained his situation to the party. The Black Band, and himself in particular, have been increasingly unpopular due to the efforts of the Lintha. Lintha had been posing as members of the Band and attacking vessels that they shouldn't, antagonizing the Guild as well as various other factions. He suspects the Lintha's actions are based on the Silver Prince's machinations, as he found a ship with many undead flying the Band's colors deep in Lintha territory. His plan was to attack a Lintha outpost he had located under the colors of the Silver Prince, disguised as Lintha to gain entry. This would hopefully both distract the Lintha and set his two largest adversaries against each other. However, he needed friendly Exalts that were capable sailors and were not directly associated with the Black Band, which was a rather short list. Dax, as an Exalt, could pose as a deathknight and confirm the Prince's involvement. As he was clearly operating outside the Band, he would not be identified. Additionally, the help of the other Exalts in the party gave the mission a large chance of success. Hearing of the party's exploits in the Arena, Atterum had been waiting for the Tournament to locate them. Atterum offered information regarding an actual Deathknight in the area as payment, which was another reason why he had wanted Dax. Amber suggested a favor as well, which Atterum readily agreed to, eager to have ties to the party's power. The party told Atterum some tales of their exploits and power and he was most impressed. After a night of rest the party headed out to the Coatl, which Atterum was rather enraptured by. Offering the hearthstone for the base, the party engaged the Dragon Drive and flew out there quickly. Infiltration and Information At the base, the party reviewed their mission, met with the crew, and donned disguises. Dax was to be the mortal captain, Largo was a Lintha Demon-Blooded, and Fern and Amber were to be prisoners. Fern summoned Stomach Bottle Bugs for the party, and instructed them to cut the party's forehead with an Abyssal caste mark when the need arose. A few days passed as the party headed out to sea, and they eventually arrived at their destination. Once there, Fern spotted that the mortals greeting the party at the docks contained an Abyssal, who somehow stealthily cast a spell at her to stay her tongue. She did not resist and later counterspelled this when she had a moment's privacy. Fern and Amber were escorted with several "prisoners" to an entertainment building. The show was mediocre at best, and it was tempting for Amber to critique or put on a performance of her own. She resisted the urge. Fern started looking through books and located an interesting Lintha religious text, which she pocketed. Dax and Largo followed the rest of the crew to the local bar and got comfortable. They initiated a drinking contest among the crew, which was very well-received. Being Solar Exalted with stomach bottle bugs in their stomachs, alcohol had virtually no effect, and the two played up their state in an effort to get information from a local leader. Fern, blindfolded to hide her eyes, began making her way up the hill toward a manse she spied at the top. She got fairly close before being intercepted by a staff member who kindly escorted her back down to the entertainment building. The leader who Largo and Dax had been talking to revealed himself to be an important functionary at the island, quite bored of his position. At Largo and Dax's goading told them about his office up on the hill, as well as that the Lintha were aware of Dax and on the lookout for him. The officer, however, did not recognize Dax, nor Largo. Dax and Largo took the man up to the building where he worked, and Dax humorously suggested singing on top of the man's desk. At this point, Largo gave him a firm enough hug to disable him, and Dax followed it up with a blow to the back of the head. They slumped the man outside his office and poured through the mail. They found the following documents: Dax Stormslayer has been confirmed as the fourth Solar. Negotiations with the Silver Prince on this matter have been unsuccessful. An "Abyssal" attempt on the village of Tsunami might be well-advised the next time a ship is in the area. More reports of the golden airship have arisen, and these cannot be ignored. If they are to be believed, we would do well to extend the range of our weaponry upward and hope that it is lost against an enemy of ours. Saychel Herek, the one researching the Great Aunt, was acquired according to our expectations. He shall be provided with materials to work with so long as he continues to prove useful to us. When that period ends, have him castrated and deposited in Bluehaven as a slave. He has mentioned anathema involvement at least once, though it is obvious that he is not fully aware of his unique position. Attempts to contact the Great Niece have not born fruit just yet, but if all reports are true she will likely contact us before too long. Still no contact from Leviathan. The Brass Leviathan has been spotted again, just south of Wavecrest. If it heads any deeper into our territory I fear our Mothers may organize another recovery attempt. Our entry to the Gem Coliseum has gone smoothly. Negotiations with Gem have led them to agree that it is in all of our best interest. The irony that we will legally hold such a powerful stone from the city itself is thick indeed, but it is readily admitted that we have vested interest in the trade hub. Our odds against the Firedust Devil are decent, and short of the return of the anathema Largo we see little to fear. Explosions and a Remembered Enemy Largo and Dax pocketed the documents, recording copies for themselves, and as they left the building noticed the body missing. Largo activated his Essence sight and noticed an Abyssal, as well as noticing the energies of the Manse acting strangely. Fern, who had been watching the manse, noticed that it seemed to be triggered for a rapid Essence buildup- it would likely explode before the hour was up. Quickly explaining the situation to Amber, the two dropped their disguises and ran. Amber then activated an extremely potent Charm she has recently perfected, casting a silence and despair across a large area. The two raced to the manse, leaving a trail of cringing pirates in their wake, and shouting warnings to Dax and Largo who they assumed were inside. Dax and Largo ran out of the manse, chasing the Abyssal, and met up with Fern and Amber. The Abyssal revealed himself to be the final member of the three who had robbed the party's Tombs, Shadow-Mantled Servant of Secrets Unknowable. Dax managed to land a pair of strikes before he could prepare himself. Servant opened combat by encasing himself in an Impervious Sphere of Water, which began rolling down the slope, aided by blows from Fern and Largo. Amber attempted to slow the attack, and another pair of strikes from Largo and Dax shattered it. At this, a variety of dark shapes ran out from Servant and began defending him and attacking the party. At this, Cid began pantomiming wildly and attempting to get Dax's attention. While the creatures, Servant, and the party fought it out, Cid quickly explained that there was a password usable as a failsafe for the Panoply of Shadow. Thinking quickly, Dax named several figures from Shadow's Grace's past. At Largo's urging, Dax also blurted out Cid's full name, and at "integumentary" the creatures began to react. Servant stepped his actions up a notch, sending a Flesh-Sloughing Wave into the center of the party, which was dodged by everyone but Largo, who was largely unfazed by the powerful Necromancy. Servant's cloak, which had been enabling him to fly, suddenly wrapped around him and began attacking him; a thousand tiny beetles suddenly burrowing into his flesh. He ducked into a nearby house attempting to escape. Dax yanked him back out, Amber sliced him apart, and the Panoply ripped his body into shreds and quickly consumed it. At this point the party remembered the manse atop the hill was still about to explode. They gathered up the Deathknight's possessions and dashed for the ship, foreheads bleeding and Amber making cries about the glory of the Silver Prince. They gathered up the crew, who was fighting on the beach, and scared off the hostile forces. Dax grabbed the helm of the ship while Largo yanked up the anchor by hand. Amber sped up the ship with her violin and Fern shielded the vessel from behind... and the manse exploded, sending bits of sand and rock clear out to the ship. The ship's crew let out an enormous cheer. Dax was back with the Black Band, and he had friends as capable as himself. Along the way back, the party inspected the panoply, and received a panicked letter from Serentatis via a bat. Character Thoughts and Reactions Steve didn't get through as much as he planned, but that's cool. Just know that he didn't get to the plot part yet. Also, sorry if he was a little controlling and high-strung; he had a mountain dew. Also, Solars getting drunk is a very very terrifying concept. Largo is loving this campaign more and more each session. Now he wants to tinker with his scythe and get more Wyld mutation... things. Keep up the good work, Steve! If Steve was high-strung, Alexa was having far too much fun to notice. Followed by Butterfly's Wings, Session Eleven, The Battle and the Rescue. Category:Sunlight on the Water Category:Fury of the Butterfly's Wings